Photograph by Rosalie Szeto.
He is the author of When Daylight Trickles(Bottle Cap Press, 2023) and Empire Sunsets (Lost Fox Publishing, 2021). Carl has been writing and performing his work at venues such as the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Voices in Power, Bowery Poetry, and others. He hosted the “People’s Poetry” program at The People’s Forum in New York City in 2023.
With an educational background in journalism and visual art, Carl allows the two distinct practices to fuel his poetic style, realistically and abstractly.
In 2016, he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University at Albany, SUNY, with a focus in Journalism, Communication, and English. He is currently enrolled at Touro University Graduate School of Education, where he is a Candidate for NYS Students With Disabilities (Grades 7–12 Generalist) Certification.
Most recently, Carl has blossomed into his role as a Middle School teacher. He is a dedicated and adaptable educator with a multidisciplinary background in media, art, and education. He brings an exceptional work ethic, strong communication skills, and a student-centered, humanizing, and holistic approach to teaching. He remains committed to fostering an engaging and inclusive learning environment for all, while collaborating with students, families, faculty, and school leadership to support academic growth towards success and school-wide goals.
Carl has worn many hats throughout his professional and personal experiences; in local newsrooms, media departments, museums, classrooms, hotels, and restaurants. Through these opportunities, he has built lasting relationships and learned what it means to be a persistent team leader and team player. Carl is dependable and deadline-oriented, with thorough communication skills, strong attention to detail, and a professional, but more importantly, loving attitude.
Born in 1994 in New York City, Carl Straut-Collard is a passionate educator, author, poet, writer, and cultural worker.
When Daylight Trickles contemplates the relationship between natural light and radical consciousness. This collection of poems encourages the raw power and autonomy of sunlight to challenge our capacity to feel and exist in a world drowning in disillusionment. When Daylight Trickles rediscovers simplicity, the beauty in our complexity, and the time and colors that fully surround everything else in between. While hope becomes more and more distant in our unraveling world, the words in this book dare to prove that with the perspective of daylight, the divine possibilities of the human imagination remain endless.